28 August 2017

The War on Drugs - A Deeper Understanding

I
have been anticipating this one for a while! The War on Drugs have
finally followed up on Lost on the Dream (our review linked here),
an album that I like but it was not without flaws. When it comes to Dream
Rock, they are always a band who are at the forefront of my mind. This
can largely be attributed to the song "Red Eyes", which has
grown into one of my favourite songs of all time, something that I blame my old
radio presenting friend Barry Wilson for. This song is one of the reasons
for me following them, hoping that it is not just a one off. A Deeper
Understanding was released on August 25th, 2017 to much acclaim, but there is still
some negative reviews out there as well. Well, it is time to find out how
it sounds myself......

01
- Up All Night

"Up
All Night" sounds like the stage of night when dusk is starting to descend
and the lights are being turned on to illuminate the dark. It has a
feeling that the potential is there for excitement, love and other
things. The song simmers along with a promise that it does not quite
reach, it is constant audio titillation and then it sorts of dissipates into
nothing. For a six-minute song, it says a lot and then it fails to reach
the highs that it was promising.

02
- Pain

The
song that gives the album its title, "Pain" is the sound of
the night coming back to haunt the protagonist. There is a heartland rock
feeling to this one, a feeling that it is born of a pedigree that has
transcended the usual style of TWoD, as if they are hitting a level of song
writing. This is not trying to emulate the past, but it is hinting at
something new for the future.

03
- Holding On

"Holding
On" is the second single to be released from this album, this one is
an upbeat number musically and it has a lot of positive energy throughout the
song. To be honest with you, it feels as if it is trying to recreate the sound that gave the world "Red Eyes" on Lost
in the Dream. This is not the worst thing in the world, but the
familiar feeling before you have finished your first listen is something that
haunts this song. That said, if you are going to attempt to recreate one
of your old songs, might as well make it your best one.

04
- Strangest Thing

Slowing
things down, "Strangest Thing" is a song about how the world is a
hard place, how a new direction is required to escape the limbo of
existence. It starts off at a plodding pace and I was in fear that I was
going to fall asleep. But then the chorus hook kicks in around the two minutes
forty second point, at this point I almost had an accident. The build
from that point is nothing short of dramatic, full of beautiful passages and heart-breaking
moments of tender contemplation. When a song can make that sort of
instant connection, it transcends everything else that has come before it and
this is one of those moments for TWoD. It is a beautifully crafted
number, one which requires patience and gives some much in return.

05
- Knocked Down

Now
this is a strange song, one that shares a few similarities to the Minnie
Riperton classic "Loving You". Once more we are in
ballad territory on "Knocked Down", but to be honest with you,
after the drama of "Strangest Thing" it is a bit of a let-down.
It plods along with all the excitement of a rainy Tuesday afternoon in a closed
seaside town in October, it is easily the poorest song on offer here and it
does not improve with further listens.

06
- Nothing to Find

As
if sensing that an injection of energy is required, "Nothing to Find"
comes along like a ball of fun with a jaunty little beat that gives the world a
warm glow. It is as if sunshine has returned to the album, making
everything seem exciting and full of possibilities. It is a fun track, a
little filler that does not try to be anything be a good song. You need
numbers like this sometimes, just a fun tune that makes the world feel better
for a little while.

07
- Thinking of a Place

Returning
to their reflective side, "Thinking of a Place" is an eleven-minute
track which looks at the need for companionship and for solace. This was
released as a single of Record Store day 2017, so it has been given much hype
and it has been built up by so many reviews. It is hard for this song to
live up to the hype that surrounded it, but it is an interesting song, one that
sounds like a dream sequence love song, giving people hope of a brighter
future.

08
- In Chains

With
a Dream Rock riff that would sound perfect on any summer's day, "In
Chains" follows a similar pattern to other songs on this album. The
song is another love song, one that looks at the chains that we can place on
ourselves. I love the music here, but it does go on a little too long. It could
have been edited down slightly and been the little gem that it is now, this is
a sadly familiar pattern on this album.

09 - Clean Living

We are approaching the end with "Clean Living", which starts
with an atmospheric, almost religious sound to the sound. It speaks to
the Celt in me, making me think of the nature and it is very smoothing.
The lyrics do not quite match the power of the music, they seem to be singing
to a different song in some ways. But the music is so captivating, it
takes you on a journey and it is a vein of sound I hope they explore in the future.

10 - You Don't Have to Go

Ending
the album is the slow waltz that is "You Don't Have to Go",
which has a melancholic malaise that feels as if the party left you a while ago
and you are tidying up the tables. It is a heartbreaker from the
beginning, one that builds up slowly and you feel as if it is going to give you
a euphoric release. It almost delivers, it almost reaches that lofty goal
and you will notice the word "Almost". The problem here is it
could have been done just as effectively with less time and the payoff is not
the euphoric moment that should have sent this album on its way. It is a
shame it ends on a decent note, when it could have been so much more.

A Deeper Understanding is a good album that does not
know when to stop, which sadly keeps it from being a great album. Each
song (including the ones I adore) could have lost a minute or so each and the
album would have had the same impact, which is proven by the band themselves
when they released an edited down version of "Holding On" that
sounded just as good as the original full-length song. However, this
album is like a dream that aims for lofty heights. I can hear the
influences of Bruce Springsteen and Mark Knopfler on this album, it has big,
massive ideas and it is trying to wrestle them into a form that pleases both
the artist and the audience. Much like Lost in the Dream, it is an
album that has flaws which stop it from reaching the next level. I still
have faith in The War on Drugs, they still sound amazing and it is always so
close to greatness. It is a good album overall, I applaud the fact
that they have the faith to attempt this record, but it could have done with a
little bit of editing.

Welcome to the final round-up review of 2017! Similar to the Round-Up posts I put up earlier in the year, I’m going to be posting some bull...

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Album scoring system

0 - This is proof there is no deity1 - You're really are touching the bottom of the barrel with this one2 - If only there was some quality control3 - It could have been a bit better4 - Well it's alright, but still......5 -Not for everyone but played well6 - Now I see where you were going, but it's not quite there7 - This is good and well worth a check8 - Oh, now you have my attention and maybe my money, time and heart9 - Almost perfect....Almost10 - This is proof there is a deity(For albums that are too crazy to be marked)Crazy Cat symbol - This album cannot be marked, so here is a box of kittens

Singles/EP Marking System

0 - Only to be listened to by people bless with the gift of being deaf1 - Not so much on the bad that it is bottom of the barrel, but it can see the stuff down there2 - Not bad, not good - so average it is Zen3 - Decent, getting there4 - This is really good, well worth checking out5 - I wish I had extra ears to love this more(For Singles/EPs that are too crazy to mark)Crazy Cat symbol - This release cannot be marked, so here is a box of kittens